LASG attributes partnership to its success in housing programme

The Lagos State Government {LASG} has attributed the successes recorded over the years in the maintenance of its housing estates to partnership with community development associations {CDAs} and the introduction of facility management.

The Commissioner for Housing, Gbolahan Lawal, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos on Sunday.

Lawal also said that the partnership which he called facility management had engendered better safety for the estates across the state and make them habitable for their occupants.

The commissioner said that the introduction of facility management was a welcomed idea as it would continue to assist in up-scaling the values of housing estates.

Lawal explained that facility management comprises the officials of the Ministry of Housing, the resident associations or community development associations of a particular government-owned estate and experts from estate management outfits.

The commissioner said that the team used to meet regularly to review developments in government estates with a view to knowing their challenges and proffering solutions to them.

“We have always been there working with the resident associations and the facility management; and that has really made our job easier.

“The over 25 new estates and the old estates have facility managements who are from the private sector.

“They are maintaining them and ensuring that the values of the estates do not depreciate.

“This is how the ministry has embraced the public- private partnership {PPP} arrangement and has been working efficiently for us,” he said.

Lawal said that real estate had become real in the state.

So, the operators were evolving new models, ideas and innovations suitable for the building industry and the economic development of the state, he said.

“Part of the innovations is the introduction of facility management for each of both the old and new housing estates.

“ Years back in this part of the world, there was nothing like facility management of estate.

“When the administration of Alhaji Lateef Jakande built those Lagos State housing estates between 1979 and 1983, there were no facility managers managing them.

“But with the current interjectory, we now see a lot of private sectors coming up with facility managers.

“For us at the Ministry of Housing, all those estates that we built have facility managers managing them.

“Often times, we ask that resident associations or the community development associations {CDAs} to come up with their own facility managers.

“The three of us: the Ministry of Housing, the resident associations, and the facility managers of such estates sign a tripartite agreement on property maintenance of such property,’’ he said.

Lawal also said that the ministry had various internal departments managing various aspects of their housing estates across the state.

“We have the estate department that is in charge of all our estates.

“It ensures that the values of our estates are the same and guards against any contraventions guiding their establishments.

“The department also ensures that no physical infrastructure that was not in the master plan comes up within the estates.’’

The commissioner also said that the ministry was working in partnership with various estate managers to maintain the infrastructure in its estates.

“We also have the department of physical planning services (PPS) that also monitors other physical developments within the state government- owned estates,’’ he said.